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REGINA — The leader of Saskatchewan’s Opposition swapped accusations of bad-faith dealing with a former caucus member Wednesday, but both agree Betty Nippi-Albright’s decision to quit the party can’t be undone.
NDP Leader Carla Beck said she won’t welcome Nippi-Albright back into the caucus, and Nippi-Albright said she has no plans to return.
“Trust has been broken,” Beck told reporters.
“(But) I do wish her all the best. I have never doubted her desire to do better for the people of this province.”
Nippi-Albright, a two-term member for Saskatoon Centre, announced Tuesday she was quitting the NDP to sit as an Independent.
She had been the critic for mental health and addictions. On Wednesday, she said the break centred around a report she commissioned on concerns with forced drug treatment.
Earlier this week, Premier Scott Moe’s government passed a law that allows forced treatment on those battling drug addiction on the grounds it’s a necessary last-resort measure to save them.
The NDP voted against it, saying the bill doesn’t have enough protections in place for those who could lose their liberty.
Nippi-Albright said her report outlined serious concerns, including that the law fails to take into account problems faced by Indigenous people, such as colonialization and residential schools, which are considered in sentencing under Canadian law.
Nippi-Albright said she wanted to make the report public but Beck refused.
“I was muzzled,” Nippi-Albright told reporters.
Beck, however, said it would be unusual to publicize a report initiated by a legislature member and, regardless, the report helped inform the NDP’s suggestions on how to improve the bill.
Beck said Nippi-Albright was always free to speak her mind on the issue.
“I don’t think that Betty is being completely honest in her representation of how things went,” Beck said. “There was no muzzling of talk of that report.”
The NDP caucus also said Nippi-Albright’s views on the legislation changed over time. They said that last fall she was in favour of forced treatment as a last resort.
Nippi-Albright said while she was previously OK with forced treatment, the report changed her mind.
“When we heard, ‘Hey, this is not the way to go,’ I said, ‘This is not the way to go,'” she said.
She declined to say if she has other issues with Beck’s leadership.
“We’ll get to that at the next press conference. You’ll just have to wait.”
The move changes the seat breakdown in the 61-seat legislature. Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party caucus has 34 members and the NDP now has 26, with Nippi-Albright being the lone Independent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
